Here’s another thing our CSA has been handing out like candy–Hungarian wax peppers. For the life of me, I didn’t know what to do with them! I know around here they’re popular stuffed with cheese and sausage, but since my hubby won’t touch that (again, his blasted aversion to cheese strikes again), I had to figure out something else. Hot pepper jelly to the rescue! My mom makes a fantastic hot pepper jelly, but uses mainly hot red peppers. I used a mix of Hungarian wax and Portugal hot peppers and basil. Serve with cream cheese and enjoy! (DO NOT ATTEMPT WITHOUT WEARING GLOVES. Read about my misfortune here.)
Eat What:
-The Hungarian Wax Pepper is harvest before maturity, which is why it is yellow/green in color. If allowed to mature, it would turn orange and then red. Peppers range from 4-6 inches long.
-The pepper has a sweet hot flavor that increases in heat as the color turns orange.
-It is popular in yellow mole sauces and Latin dishes
-Its heat scores range between 5,000 and 15,000 Scoville heat units
Eat When:
-Choose peppers that are shiny and crisp; avoid peppers with wrinkled skins
-Store in a paper or plastic bag in the fridge for up to five days
Eat Right:
-The Hungarian Wax Pepper is high in Vitamin C
Eat More:
–Chili-Lime Pork Tenderloin with Polenta and Hungarian Wax Peppers
–Spicy Corn and Hungarian Wax Pepper Soup
1/3 cup ground Italian sausage
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3/4 tablespoon garlic salt
3 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/3 cup Italian-style dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 Hungarian hot peppers, cored and seeded
- Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- In a medium bowl, mix together the sausage, cream cheese, garlic salt, Romano cheese, oregano, basil, bread crumbs and olive oil.
- Stuff the peppers with the sausage mixture. Place on a baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes, until the stuffing is lightly brown and bubbly.
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Holly R. Layer received a B. A. in Journalism from Penn State and served four years in the U. S. Air Force before deciding to go back to school to become a Registered Dietician. She loves running, reading, fine stationery, colorful kitchen gadgets and ALL things food-related. An avid cook and baker, you can find her in the kitchen most days whipping up something yummy. Too bad her husband, Andrew (an East Aurora native) is the pickiest man alive! You can find her at www.thefrozenpineapple.com.